I had a brief conversation with my 9 year old daughter as I was leaving the house this morning. ‘How come you’ve got sausages in your packed lunch?’ I asked. ‘I have them on special occasions’, she replied. ‘So what’s so special about today?’ I asked, now intrigued. ‘I’m having sausages!’ she replied, without flinching. I did laugh. I love the way that children don’t feel bound and constrained by the logic and patterns of thinking that we as adults allow ourselves to become tied up by. There’s a freedom and playfulness that allows new perspectives, insights and ideas to emerge.
I became conscious of how quickly I move from a free flow of ideas to judging and evaluating them, discarding any that don’t fit with my preconceived notions and expectations of how things are or should be. I limit myself by the boundaries of my own imagination, stifling creativity and paradoxical insight without even knowing it. I’m reminded profoundly of the biblical challenge, ‘unless you become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven’. It’s about seeing the invisible, hearing the unspoken word, discovering a way where there is no way.
Friday, 23 October 2009
Three Dimensional Change
The only constant is change (Heraclitus).
How we conceive, initiate and respond to change depends as much on personality, culture and preference as rational consideration. As one writer expressed it, ‘what passes for rationality is often irrationality in disguise.’ In a western leadership and management culture still dominated by rationalism, sound decisions reached by intuition are often post-rationalised in a quite literal sense to sound credible and gain buy-in. Against this backdrop, I’ve become interested in the notion of 'change management', something of a paradox in complex, fluid organisations and environments.
It strikes me there are three interrelated dimensions that each impact on whether change is successful and sustainable. The first is Change Leadership, perhaps summarised succinctly by vision, courage and engagement. The second is Change Management, focusing on design, implementation and process. The third is Change Resilience, the ability to thrive in the midst of uncertainty by maintaining faith, flexibility and hope. It’s a combination of these factors, not change management on its own, that makes all the difference.
How we conceive, initiate and respond to change depends as much on personality, culture and preference as rational consideration. As one writer expressed it, ‘what passes for rationality is often irrationality in disguise.’ In a western leadership and management culture still dominated by rationalism, sound decisions reached by intuition are often post-rationalised in a quite literal sense to sound credible and gain buy-in. Against this backdrop, I’ve become interested in the notion of 'change management', something of a paradox in complex, fluid organisations and environments.
It strikes me there are three interrelated dimensions that each impact on whether change is successful and sustainable. The first is Change Leadership, perhaps summarised succinctly by vision, courage and engagement. The second is Change Management, focusing on design, implementation and process. The third is Change Resilience, the ability to thrive in the midst of uncertainty by maintaining faith, flexibility and hope. It’s a combination of these factors, not change management on its own, that makes all the difference.
Thursday, 22 October 2009
Beyond Awareness
‘There’s value in raising awareness, but the real question is what a person or team chooses to do with that awareness.’ I made this comment to a colleague today who works in team development using various psychometric tools.
I’ve noticed implicit assumptions among some practitioners using such tools (e.g. MBTI or MVPI), as if enabling team members to understand more about themselves and each other will of itself lead to improved relationships and effective working. I don’t doubt the value of psychometrics when used well but I do want to add other dimensions to the awareness-raising equation. My sense is that fundamental and sustainable development in an individual or team only really occurs when the A of Awareness is matched by the corresponding A of Attitude and A of Action.
It’s quite feasible, for instance, that in some team environments and cultures, greater awareness will simply lead to greater competitive advantage at an interpersonal level (‘now that I know this about you, I can use it against you to my advantage’). The issue of Attitude is, therefore, really points to deeper issues of underlying beliefs, values and intention. How can we encourage and build humanistic values in individuals and teams so that they will use what they learn ethically and to mutual rather than selfish advantage?
It’s also quite feasible that team members will learn new things about themselves and others but fail to act differently on the basis of that awareness in their day-to-day interactions. It’s like the biblical notion of a person looking in a mirror then walking away only to forget what he or she looks like. The issue of Action, therefore, is really about securing commitment to new behaviour and making it stick. How can we ensure that what will feel alien for people at first will become second nature over time?
So there is the challenge. To approach psychometrics in teambuilding with a wider perspective in view and to broaden our practice to (a) inquire into values and (b) ensure implementation.
I’ve noticed implicit assumptions among some practitioners using such tools (e.g. MBTI or MVPI), as if enabling team members to understand more about themselves and each other will of itself lead to improved relationships and effective working. I don’t doubt the value of psychometrics when used well but I do want to add other dimensions to the awareness-raising equation. My sense is that fundamental and sustainable development in an individual or team only really occurs when the A of Awareness is matched by the corresponding A of Attitude and A of Action.
It’s quite feasible, for instance, that in some team environments and cultures, greater awareness will simply lead to greater competitive advantage at an interpersonal level (‘now that I know this about you, I can use it against you to my advantage’). The issue of Attitude is, therefore, really points to deeper issues of underlying beliefs, values and intention. How can we encourage and build humanistic values in individuals and teams so that they will use what they learn ethically and to mutual rather than selfish advantage?
It’s also quite feasible that team members will learn new things about themselves and others but fail to act differently on the basis of that awareness in their day-to-day interactions. It’s like the biblical notion of a person looking in a mirror then walking away only to forget what he or she looks like. The issue of Action, therefore, is really about securing commitment to new behaviour and making it stick. How can we ensure that what will feel alien for people at first will become second nature over time?
So there is the challenge. To approach psychometrics in teambuilding with a wider perspective in view and to broaden our practice to (a) inquire into values and (b) ensure implementation.
The Bleeding Edge
Operating at the leading edge, forging forward into the exciting unknown can be a thrilling experience, a real opportunity for learning, development and discovery. At the same time it is the place of greatest risk, the place of greatest potential cost if we get it wrong. That’s the mark of courageous leadership – taking the risk, seizing the opportunity, stepping outside of our comfort zones to discover what’s possible, ready to bleed if our best efforts fail.
I was amused by a colleague yesterday who spoke of this phenomenon as ‘living at the bleeding edge’. We’re involved in a team leading an international NGO through a potentially radical strategy and change process. I can feel my own excitement and anxiety, the opportunity to contribute something that could really add value and yet, at the same time, nagging fears about whether I’ll prove good enough, whether the outcomes will achieve what we’re hoping for.
It’s at this point where I’m reminded most of my profound need for God’s grace, to give me courage to step into the unknown, to inspire with wisdom, to become more than I thought possible, to brace myself against my worst fears and to trust him if all else fails. I’m learning by this experience that the courageous leader is not the one who lacks fear but the one who overcomes fear by doing what’s right in spite of that fear. May God help me to be that leader.
I was amused by a colleague yesterday who spoke of this phenomenon as ‘living at the bleeding edge’. We’re involved in a team leading an international NGO through a potentially radical strategy and change process. I can feel my own excitement and anxiety, the opportunity to contribute something that could really add value and yet, at the same time, nagging fears about whether I’ll prove good enough, whether the outcomes will achieve what we’re hoping for.
It’s at this point where I’m reminded most of my profound need for God’s grace, to give me courage to step into the unknown, to inspire with wisdom, to become more than I thought possible, to brace myself against my worst fears and to trust him if all else fails. I’m learning by this experience that the courageous leader is not the one who lacks fear but the one who overcomes fear by doing what’s right in spite of that fear. May God help me to be that leader.
Sunday, 4 October 2009
An Unexpected Kindness
I had the unexpected pleasure last night of being taken to see and hear a rock band in the back room of a local pub. The sound was phenomenal and, as I stood by the huge stage speakers, I could literally feel the beat and bass rhythm pulsating throughout the whole of my body. What struck me as much as the songs, band and exuberant atmosphere in the crowd was something about the singer’s personal presence.
In the midst of all the dramatic strutting and air guitar playing, he would periodically move to the edge of the stage, lean forward toward the crowd, fix his eyes momentarily on an excited individual and smile with a glint of real warmth and affection. He looked at me in this way on one occasion and I was surprised how uplifted I felt. It was like the power and impact of an unexpected kindness from a stranger.
There is an African greeting which quite literally means, ‘I see you.’ How often do I pause and see the person in the crowd, smile at the stranger, show unprompted kindness, lift the other by simply acknowledging the gift of their being?
In the midst of all the dramatic strutting and air guitar playing, he would periodically move to the edge of the stage, lean forward toward the crowd, fix his eyes momentarily on an excited individual and smile with a glint of real warmth and affection. He looked at me in this way on one occasion and I was surprised how uplifted I felt. It was like the power and impact of an unexpected kindness from a stranger.
There is an African greeting which quite literally means, ‘I see you.’ How often do I pause and see the person in the crowd, smile at the stranger, show unprompted kindness, lift the other by simply acknowledging the gift of their being?
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